Protesters interrupt Ryan in Iowa: ‘Stop the war on the middle class!’

Speaking from the same stage in Iowa where Mitt Romney once declared that “corporation are people,” presumptive Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan found himself on Monday being interrupted by protesters who accused him of waging a “war on the middle class.”

During an stump speech at the Iowa State Fair, Paul paused to call out several women near the front row who were heckling him.

“You know, it’s funny because Iowa and Wisconsinites, we like to be respectful of one another and peaceful with one another and listen to each other,” he said. “These ladies must not be from Iowa or Wisconsin.”

“You see this one here?” Ryan said, pointing out one of the women to law enforcement and security personnel. BuzzFeed’s Zeke Miller reported that several of the women were later arrested.

Throughout the remainder of the Wisconsin Republican’s speech, protesters in the audience chanted, “Stop the war on the middle class!” and “Stop the war on the common good!”

But Ryan continued his speech, seemingly unfazed: “My guess is the reason President Obama isn’t making it here from Council Bluffs is because he only knows left turns.”

About the Author

David Edwards has served as an editor at Raw Story since 2006. His work can also be found at Crooks & Liars, and he's also been published at The BRAD BLOG. He came to Raw Story after working as a network manager for the state of North Carolina and as as engineer developing enterprise resource planning software. Follow him on Twitter at @DavidEdwards.